trex

Try Calgary Sash. Excellent product Mostly custom work. Good guys but could be pricey.

With the curtains drawn and only in the company of consenting adults. Actually on another thread a guy said he "blew" his rod by holding it above the cork. A bunch of people posted comments about not doing this when fighting and landing a fish. Well I tend to do it from time to time. Especially when I am hooked on to a stubborn-bulldogging brown. How bad a habit is it? Does it always overstress the rod? Thanks.

I have had problems with flouro in the past (and still do) I think the knots are way more sensitive to breakage. I will leave it to the pro's here to explain the knots or inadequate spit usage. If your using flouro try switching back to mono. cheers

Howdy Hydro, Right you are. I guess I should have said " the reason wny the Canadian dollar has been escalating against the US dollar for the last year or so and PRIOR to the sub-prime mortgage financing fiasco of last month was........" The Canadian dollar has been escalating against a few other countries for quite a while. The Economist magazine feels that the Canadian dollar is now a "petro-influenced currency" So apparently do the international money traders. They gotta hate that in TO eh?

Well at risk of sounding like an apologist for big oil ( which I really am not)I just gotta rebut the above. I think oil roads have opened up pristine areas to heavy fishing. I think some of the oil roads and bridges have increased siltation. I think some of the oil companies lease cuts have removed cover and possibly increased siltation. I think the oil companies SHOULD do more to enhance and protect our lands. Having said all that I think ranchers with unfenced grazing right into the streams and creeks have done more damage. About the above. "I think it’s an out rage that we let the oil companies rape and pillage our province destroying it’s natural beauty and causing sever stress on our community and we get NOTHING for it. " We get lots for it. We are the richest province in Canada by FAR. The reason the Canadian dollar is going through the roof is that is now considered a partial "petro currency". The oil companies have to restore the lease sites "as per Province of Alberta" requirements. "Oil companies are making HUGE profits and we still have one of the worst under funded school systems in Canada." Actually I think we have one of the highest funded school systems in Canada. Not sure. I do know Canadian literacy is 5th in the world. Sweden,Finland,Norway and the Netherlands beat us, we beat the US and UK. Canadian expenditure per secondary school student is tied for second in the world (with Sweden). The US is number one believe it or not. So thats not bad. "If anything big oil should be paying to make this province a better one while in fact there making it worse". They are paying one heck of a lot of peoples paychecks. Lowest unemployment in Canada.So how is that worse? "The damage they have done will be a scar for ever and a reminder of what happened when we let money get to our heads and a let bunch of foreigners steal a piece of the pie and leave." Actually they restore the drilling sites. If you see one that you feel has not been restored properly or is causing environmental damage you should report it ASAP to the Gov of Alberta. They are not foreigners, they is us. Or perhaps you mean the head office is located somewhere else. Well what about Ford, GM, General Electric, Walmart...and on and on. "Not to mention our parks, or public campground and hospitals". I have been all over North America and I think we have pretty good parks and campgrounds. I live in Calgary so I am with you on the hospital thing. "Our province will be left poor, and miserable with no oil or real sustainable industry." It will be left rich and if we dont have any sustainable industry here who's fault is that? "And the initial occupants will be left to clean up after the hordes that took their money and left." Them hordes is US local folk and a whole whack of US local folk were born here. Nor are we leaving.

I think Ralph and Rod could have hit the Eddie and put this one to bed in about twenty minutes. Something like this: 1. Let the dust settle 2. Get some serious ministry guys in the oil companies offices for talks. Any leaks and there is a never ending health and environmental audit from hell. What can we all live with? Thrash it out , everybody gives up a little something...... say 1.25-1.5 billion in increases to heavy oil. Handshakes all round. 3. Pick the most politically oppertune moment and release the plan. 4. For joe sixpac....err lunchbucket it reads something like this: The ever vigilant Government of Alberta has stepped in on behalf of the people once again. For the good of joe sixp....... we have decided to raise royalties. This additional money will go directly to the honest hardworkin...blah blah. At the Chamber of Commerce: The Government of Alberta has once again stood by the side of business. In direct contravention to our published panel of experts advice we have decided to raise royalties far far lower than recommended. We believe these are the lowest royalties in the known universe. Together.....blah blah 4. Perhaps introduce a sliding scale for royalties on gas and conventional oil. When gas is in the toilet cut back on the royalties to keep the gas sensitive service companies and deep hole rigs alive. Maybe take some of the 1.5 billion in additional heavy oil royalties to subsidies a small business tax cut. Maybe have a chat with BC about what to do about the low investment in gas and harmonize a slight royalty review. 5. So maybe the heavy oil/Fort Mac development slows down a wee bit say 20%. Helps keep wages and inflation down. Fort Mac gets to catch its breath. Infrastructure and housing starts to catch up in the heavy oil areas. Conventional gas gets a little bit of help and stays alive. Maybe business taxes come down a wee bit and Alberta stays the most competitive province in Canada. 6. Pass them smokes over. Who's round is it?

Interesting topic. I guess I am in for a nickle. I am posting from a North Sea installation. I work the European oil patch and live in Calgary. Out here jackups and semisubs are running at high utilization. Most of the offshore contractors are building new deepwater iron. They are drilling both for oil and gas. I think most of Western Europe is looking for as much "secure" gas as they can get. They also have more storage available than we do. On the Alberta front a few of my buddies in the Calgary glass towers are telling me that they are slowing down their conventional drilling. The heavy oil boom combined with the conventional side create a bit of a "perfect storm" men and equipment wise. I dont think big oil in Calgary likes to be told "take a number and in a couple of weeks we may get back to you" by the service companies. And gas is dirt cheap right now........very limited storage in the US. Somebody else mentioned LG terminals which the Americans are going to be building more of. I looks like conventional gas industry in Alberta is going to have to get a wee bit more compeatative. And thats what the big dogs are after. Drilling and production cost inflation was outstripping potential profits in the gas industry. Looks like its time for the service outfits to punt the slackers and sharpen up the pencils. Hang on.